


home among the gum trees

by pouthyucks



Series: golden gaytimes ; [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Australia, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Slow Burn, and jaem is a city boy, big yeehaw energy, cool uncle jaehyun, mark is a country boooooy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-08-03 11:31:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16325393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pouthyucks/pseuds/pouthyucks
Summary: jaemin feels instant regret in the pit of his stomach as soon as he sees that goddamn cowboy hat.





	1. i

jaemin can already feel the sun beating down on his face from inside the bus. the only thing he’s seen out the window for hours has been fields upon fields upon fields, occasionally containing cattle or sheep, but mostly just barren plains and rows of various crops that he couldn’t even begin to name. his jeans unfortunately cling to his legs and the seatbelt across his neck feels like it’s hurting him more than it’s helping. it’s not a stretch to say that he already immediately regrets agreeing to spend his christmas holidays in the goddamned outback, although the only reasons he agreed in the first place were because he was staying with Cool Uncle Jaehyun and because his only other option was to stay with chenle and while jaemin loves the kid, he’s more than a handful.

 

so, the persistent humidity and constant fear of eastern brown snakes of outback queensland is as good as it’s going to get.

  


-

  


jaemin’s last 5 years living in st. kilda did absolutely nothing to prepare him for this. if anything, it made it worse.

 

as soon as jaemin takes his first step off the bus he’s immediately greeted with dust in his eyes and sweat forming on his forehead. not a great start. he heads towards the bus station, following the three other people who got off at this stop, the air conditioning just barely making him want to die a little less. he scans the almost empty space for Cool Uncle Jaehyun and finally manages to spot him in conversation with a tall man with dark hair and a boy around jaemin’s own age with… an actual, literal cowboy hat. one that strangely looks like it belongs there. jaemin trudges over to them, dragging his suitcase behind him with as much energy as he can muster in the groggy, heavy air that sticks to his shirt.

 

“hey, kiddo!” jaehyun says, meeting jaemin a quarter of the way and hugging him. jaemin hugs him back, despite the heat, and greets him. “god, you’ve grown like, three metres since i last saw you,” he adds and jaemin shakes his head and grins.

 

jaehyun takes jaemin’s suitcases, despite his ultimately futile attempts to convince jae that he can take it, and leads him over to the other two.

 

jae gestures to the taller of the two with the dark hair, saying, “this is my boyfriend, johnny. he’s from chicago.” johnny extends a hand to jaemin, which he accepts, and shakes it. “and this is mark. he just graduated year 12 and he’ll be staying with us in exchange for helping me around the property.” mark shakes jaemin’s hand and grins at him. jaemin won’t lie; mark’s pretty cute. his easy smile, his surprisingly soft hands, his soft looking but messy hair that peeks out from under the _hat_. he’s quite pretty.

 

but he screams big yeehaw energy. and jaemin can’t stand for that. so he chooses to ignore it.

 

“it’s definitely gonna be pretty different here to st. kilda, mate,” mark says. jaemin almost glares at him before he starts smiling seemingly earnestly. jaemin decides he means well. for now.

 

jaemin turns to jaehyun. “yeah, i think the dust has blinded me for the next few days,” he says and mark and jaehyun just laugh at him.

 

“you’ll get used to it,” johnny says, patting his shoulder. “eventually.” jaehyun laughs, as does mark, a little too much, and they head off to the carpark.

  


-

 

it takes way too long to fit everyone and everything in jaehyun’s shitty ute. jaemin’s admittedly excessively large suitcase combined with jaehyun’s groceries, four people and a small amount of space inherently causes problems. but they get there eventually. jaemin ends up almost sitting on mark’s lap. but no one’s limbs are out of the vehicle and jaemin can mostly breathe, so it’s better than it could’ve been. his ability to breathe does become a problem, however, when mark, johnny and jaehyun all spot the maccas in town simultaneously and mark starts fucking flailing his arms and possibly his legs while begging jaehyun to let them stop for a frozen coke.

 

“jaemin might need to cool down, jae. he’s not gonna get used to the heat for a bit,” mark argues.

 

jaemin doesn’t know exactly how he feels about this guy he barely knows using him as an argument to get a fucking frozen coke of all things. but he’s pretty sure it’s negative.

 

“jaem, d’you want one?” jaehyun asks and jaemin resists the urge to roll his eyes.

 

“sure,” he grumbles.

 

“hey, lighten up jaem, we have aircon at home,” jaehyun says and jaemin does, indeed, lighten up.

 

“oh, thank god.”

  


-

  


jaemin watches through the window as he dries the dishes johnny passes him (jaemin now remembers both how good jaffles are and how much washing up they cause). he sees jaehyun and mark out in one of the paddocks, the two of them laughing and doing… something. jaemin isn’t quite sure. he is sure, however, that jaehyun’s property is more than impressive. the whole thing is about 100 acres of mostly bushland. just from the kitchen window jaemin can see a massive shed/garage with tools and what looks like two semi-built go karts, three paddocks with sheep, goats and cows, about a quarter of the dirt driveway and a fuckton of gum trees.

 

“it’s pretty cool what jae’s done with the place, huh?” johnny says, smiling to himself. jaemin nods. “i remember when he bought it. it was just land. nothing on it. he built the house himself. he’d always send me pictures of the progress he made every day, even if it wasn’t much. he was just so proud of himself. and i’m proud of him too.” jaemin smiles.

 

“that’s really sweet,” jaemin says.

 

“yeah. i was still living in america at the time so i couldn’t be there in person. but when he finished it, i bought the first plane ticket i could. and then like, three bus tickets,” he laughs. “and i’ve lived here ever since. i love it out here,” johnny says, handing jaemin a few forks. “i hope you do too,” he adds. they both go quiet for a moment, not really sure of what else needs to be said.

 

“what’s the deal with mark?” jaemin asks.

 

“he and jae knew each other in school. once jae graduated and moved out here, mark decided to start helping him out. jae felt bad about not giving mark anything in return and mark refused to accept money, so jae started letting him live with him on the holidays. it’s a tradition now. he’s a good kid.”

 

“mark or uncle jaehyun?”

 

“both of ‘em.”

 

johnny hands him a glass and jaemin keeps looking out the window. he sees mark bottle-feeding a lamb, patting it as he does so, smiling sweetly.

 

jaemin would think it was a cute sight if mark wasn’t wearing a fucking cowboy hat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh,, howdy. this is going to be just the dumbest thing i've ever written but hopefully y'all like it !! follow me on twitter @softiechannie for updates and also my dumb tweets and send me asks on my cc @grrracha !!


	2. ii

jaemin isn’t sure what compelled him to go out in the blistering heat to go and talk to mark. he’s fairly sure that he doesn’t like the guy, and he’s certain that he doesn’t like the weather. but he squints through the blinding rays of the sun and walks over to the shed. he hears quite the commotion going on in there, hushed but sharp curses, the crashing of metal falling on other metal, and he sees that fucking cowboy hat peeking out over the top of one of the tables.

 

“goddammit!”

 

more clanging of screwdrivers on concrete. jaemin approaches gingerly to say the least.

 

“hey-“

 

“oi, mate, can you pass me that wrench?” mark interrupts him pointing to his left. jaemin scowls.

 

jaemin grits his teeth. “sure.” he walks over to where mark pointed as slowly as possible, taking his sweet time with every step. “here,” he says, tapping mark’s hat with the wrench to get his attention. mark looks up at him. there are a few marks of dirt or oil or something on his face but, unfortunately, jaemin decides they add character.

 

“awh, thanks mate. you’re a legend,” mark says taking the wrench and walking over to the go karts jaemin noticed earlier. mark starts to do… something with one of them. jaemin can’t be bothered to ask. he just stands there, shifting quietly and looking over to see jaehyun with a shit-eating grin on his face. jaemin rolls his eyes at him before clearing his throat as obnoxiously as he can. mark turns his attention to jaemin.

 

“what are you doing?” jaemin asks and the look on mark’s face makes jaemin feel like he’s asked the dumbest question in the history of dumb questions.

 

“city kids,” mark mumbles under his breath, but jaemin _definitely_ heard him. “i’m repairing these karts jae got from one of his mates, i think his name’s sicheng. said they’re past fixing but i like a challenge,” he explains and jaemin just nods.

 

“please for the love of god tell me you’re going to repaint them,” jaemin says, gesturing to the karts. one of them is an awkward yellow-ish colour and the other is a shade of green jaemin didn’t even know existed. the both of them have severely chipped paint anyway. mark laughs.

 

“well, yeah. i do in fact understand colours, i’m not a moron just because i live out here,” mark replies matter-of-factly. jaemin feels stupid. incredibly so.

 

“i wasn’t implying you were, dude. wikipedia.org/joke.” mark scoffs at him before going back  to whatever he was doing.

 

jaemin stands there watching him. his brows furrowed in pure concentration. his eyes crackling and warm. his tongue sticking out of his mouth just a little. jaemin takes a seat on one of the old, worn stools. he decides to text chenle, hoping that he’ll somehow manage to help jaemin socialise like a normal person.

 

yeah right. but it’s worth a shot.

 

**_nana_ **

_lele_

_help_

_please_

 

**_lele_ **

_hmm_

_idk dude_

_why should i_

 

jaemin scoffs, earning a raised eyebrow from mark, which jaemin chooses to ignore.

 

**_nana_ **

_uncle jaehyun has a friend living with him and_

_he’s_

_he’s wearing a cowboy hat_

 

**_lele_ **

_oh god_

_no_

_not,, a yeehaw boy_

 

**_nana_ **

_ugh ikr_

 

**_lele_ **

_you really do need my Expert Chenle Advice_

 

**_nana_ **

_you’re pushing it kid_

 

**_lele_ **

_hey :(_

_you’re not that much older than me_

 

**_nana_ **

_are you going to help me or not_

 

**_lele_ **

_hh Fine_

_what do you need help with_

 

**_nana_ **

_ugh he’s like mildly cute and that would be fine if he didn’t just_

_Exude_

_big yeehaw energy_

 

**_lele_ **

_lmao rip_

 

**_nana_ **

_not helping_

_but we also keep like,, vaguely not getting along_

_idk_

_it’s weird_

_i think he’s just being himself and i don’t know how to deal w it because_

_ya know_

_i only met him a few hours ago_

 

**_lele_ **

_seems like you’re in a pretty tough situation chief_

_maybe like,, lighten up??_

 

**_nana_ **

_hhh that’s what uncle jaehyun said_

_but how can i lighten up when the minimum today is 35 degrees_

 

**_lele_ **

_oh jesus_

_i thought having Every Season In A Day was bad_

_and it is_

_but like_

_oh god_

_i would ask what the max is but i’d probably pass out_

 

**_nana_ **

_yeah you don’t want to know_

_it’s also fucking 60% humidity_

_like,, why????_

 

**_lele_ **

_rip_

 

**_nana_ **

_so is that it for your “Expert Chenle Advice”?_

 

**_lele_ **

_yup_

_you’re on your own mate_

_sorry_

 

**_nana_ **

_hhh_

_okay_

_i’ll keep you updated on everything i guess_

 

**_lele_ **

_you better_

 

jaemin sighs and clicks his phone off, his leg bouncing. he pushes his hair back as he squints into the sun.

 

“who were you texting?” mark asks, putting a wrench down and cleaning his hands with an old facewasher, one jaemin recognised from photos as belonging to his mother when she was a kid.

 

“just my friend. he thought i’d already died from the heat,” jaemin replies, his voice low and cold.

 

“i wouldn’t be surprised if you were and i’m just talking to your ghost right now,” mark says. “you’ve really gotta get used to it out here.”

 

“yeah, yeah.” jaemin turns his phone over in his hands, not entirely sure what to do with it. he keeps glancing back at mark, watching him as he does whatever he’s doing. jaemin studies him. how careful his hands are. how delicate he is. he notices his fingertips, the pads rough and dry. then his palms, also rough, ragged lines dart across them with no real pattern to them. he spots a scar. it runs down his arm, long and jagged, almost a milky white. jaemin can only imagine how mark managed to get that.

 

“you’re staring,” mark says, a light smirk playing on his lips.

 

“your scar. how’d you get it?” jaemin asks, refraining from pointing at it. his mother always said pointing was rude, especially in this situation.

 

“ah, that. a combination of barbed wire, a ride-on mower and a goat,” mark explains, chuckling. jaemin resists the urge to laugh. “i was, like, nine. mum decided it was a great idea to let me mow unsupervised. i’m not entirely sure how nine-year-old-mark managed to get thrown off it into the barbed wire that fenced off the goat paddock but i did. the goat wasn’t happy to see me. the scar’s from the wire, not the goat.”

 

“i figured,” jaemin replies. “so you grew up out here?”

 

“yeah. can you be a darl and get me the screwdriver with the green handle from over there?” mark asks. jaemin rolls his eyes once he’s sure mark isn’t looking at him and begrudgingly trudges over to get it. he hands it to mark, tempted to knock off that fucking _hat_ while he’s at it. but he doesn’t. “thanks, darl,” mark says. jaemin scoffs and goes back to his stool.

 

they just kind of continue that for a while – mark asking jaemin to get tools for him in increasingly unintentionally patronising ways, and jaemin getting them for him as much as he doesn’t want to.

 

unfortunately, their little system works.

 

jaemin doesn’t even realise it when the sun begins to set. it’s mark who points it out when they hear jaehyun calling for them from the kitchen window to get dinner.

 

jaemin decides that he doesn’t hate this. not entirely, at least.


	3. iii

jaemin stares into the comforting, swirling abyss of his spag bol. the conversations between johnny, jaehyun and mark pass by him, never staying in his head or even lingering. he looks up for just a moment and mark’s attention immediately locks on him. their eyes meet for less than a second before jaemin goes back to staring at his spaghetti. he can practically  _ hear  _ mark smirking. it’s silent between the four of them for a second - the only noise being the clanking of forks against ceramic bowls and the occasional baa of a sheep. 

 

but then jaehyun has to break it.

 

“so, jaem, you still friends with that kid from primary school?” jaehyun asks and jaemin looks up. “uh, donghyuck?”

 

jaemin nods. “yeah, that’s his name,” jaemin says. “and nah, we’re not.”

 

jaehyun raises and eyebrow as he finishes off his dinner. “why not?” he asks. “your mum told me you guys were, like, inseparable. what happened?”

 

“we were, we just-” jaemin says, stopping himself, his eyes darting to mark before returning to his spaghetti. “i don’t want to talk about it.” 

 

“okay, jaemin,” jaehyun says and jaemin exhales. 

 

slight awkwardness lingers in the air for a while. jaemin feels mark’s eyes lingering on him the whole time. jaemin chooses to ignore him.

 

“you guys done?” jaehyun asks as he stands up, gesturing to everyone. johnny and mark nod, handing their bowls and cutlery to jaehyun. jaemin shakes his head.

 

johnny leaves the table with jaehyun to do the dishes, leaving mark and jaemin alone.

 

jaemin looks up. jaehyun passes dishes to johnny after he washes them and johnny puts them on the part of the bench that’s covered in patterned tea towels. there’s never a time where dishes aren’t being washed or dried. they give each other looks jaemin isn’t sure how to describe. looks he’s only ever seen in movies. they have a system. a system that works flawlessly (other than jaehyun almost dropping a few glasses, but that doesn’t count). jaemin finds himself wishing he could be  _ that  _ in tune with someone  - and that someone could be that in tune with him.

 

“they’re cute, aren’t they?” mark says.

 

“yeah, they are,” jaemin replies. he finishes off the last of his dinner. jaehyun immediately goes over to jaemin to collect his dishes before going back to the sink. jaemin chalks it up to jaehyun’s Uncle Senses.

 

mark turns to jaemin and jaemin tries to avoid his eyes.

 

(he can’t.)

 

“i remember when jae first started telling me about johnny. met him online. they were on some forum and i don’t remember what johnny said but as soon as jae read it, he fell in love,” mark laughs, and jaemin does too. “he was upset for a bit though after he found out that johnny’s american. he felt better after i reminded him that online dating is a thing,” mark scoffs. “he was only 18 at the time but i swear to god he’s actually, like, 50.”

 

“yeah, my memories of him as a kid are all along those lines.”

 

“but yeah, they started dating after almost a year because jae doesn’t understand flirting and he always did that thing where he’d ask me if that obviously romantic thing johnny said was, indeed, romantic and then wouldn’t believe me when i’d say it was. but they got there eventually and now they act like they’ve been married for 30 years,” mark says, smiling softly.

 

“i hope i can have a relationship like that one day.”

 

“yeah. me too.”

 

then it’s quiet. johnny and jaehyun banter quietly between themselves. mark taps a vaguely familiar  rhythm on the table. jaemin would’ve found it annoying. he’s told chenle off multiple times for doing that same shit.

 

it’s comforting, he supposes. mark reminds him of home despite being so far away from it.

 

“how did you even become friends with uncle jaehyun? you’re barely older than me,” jaemin asks.

 

“funny story, actually,” mark replies and jaemin resists the urge to roll his eyes. “he’s my older brother’s ex-boyfriend,” he continues and jaemin’s eyes widen. “they only went out for a week though, so it’s not weird. their relationship barely even existed. it was a you’re-lonely-i’m-lonely-let’s-date-thing. they were 14,” mark explains. jaemin chuckles. “i thought jae was cool so when he’d hang out with my brother, i’d hang out with them too. i was 12 at the time so i didn’t really understand what was going on but i just loved ‘im,” mark smiles fondly and jaemin does too. “he’d always tell me what high school’s like and how to deal with year 6 and 7.” jaemin thinks for a moment, wondering if mark’s name or face ring any bells. they don’t. “i also just have a habit of making friends that are way older than me,” mark snaps jaemin out of his thoughts.

 

“i have the opposite problem,” jaemin says. mark raises an eyebrow. “all two of my friends are younger than me. chenle’s in year 10 and he’s friends with/crushing on jisung who’s in year 9 and i’m friends with him through chenle. i guess renjun’s my friend but i don’t talk to him much outside of class. he’s always with his boyfriend who’ve said one sentence to ever when i asked him to take one of the props onto the stage in last year’s musical,” jaemin explains. mark nods for a moment.

 

“i think that’s the most i’ve ever heard you talk,” mark finally says.

 

“get used to it.”


	4. iv

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short :( i've been super busy with assignments so i haven't had too much time to write as of late but i'll try and get back on track soon !

jaemin swings his legs and spins the stool he sits on at jaehyun and johnny’s makeshift bar left to right. he heaves a heavy sigh.

 

“goodnight, jaemin,” mark says, making his way outside to his  trailer-bedroom-thing. he’s cheerful. jaemin yawns.

 

“g’night,” he waves and mark heads off, unintentionally slamming the half-broken door behind him.

 

he’s still wearing that hat. does he sleep in the thing? jaemin supposes it’s one of life’s mysteries. johnny walks behind the bar. jaemin finds the nearest glass and half-heartedly slams it on the bench.

 

“’nother vodka, mate,” jaemin slurs and johnny just laughs.

 

“i knew you had a sense of humour,” johnny says and passes jaemin a bottle of water for the night. jaehyun warned jaemin before he even got there how impossible it is to navigate the house at night. jaemin chose not to test it for himself. “how’re you liking it out here so far?” johnny asks.

 

“well, i hate the humidity, for one thing,” he says and johnny scoffs.

 

“agreed. i’m still getting used to it and i’ve lived out here for, like, two years.”

 

“and i like the animals. uncle jaehyun took me out to feed the lambs with mark earlier,” jaemin adds.

 

“how are things faring with mark?” johnny asks.

 

“they’re, uh… i haven’t punched him yet,” jaemin shrugs and spins on the stool again. johnny raises an eyebrow at him. "he called me 'darl' and then asked me to get a screwdriver for him," jaemin adds. johnny nods.

 

“mark means well, he’s just awkward around people that are actually close to his age,” johnny says. “you’ll get used to him. probably,” johnny reassures him and jaemin shrugs again.

 

“i guess,” he says. “i’m not sure if i’m gonna get used to any of this.”

 

“i’m sure you will. if i can adjust from chicago to the outback, you can adjust from st kilda,” johnny says, taking a seat next to jaemin.

 

“it’s different though. you had motivation to adjust,” jaemin says, looking down and kicking lightly at the legs of the stool.

 

“i guess you’re right,” johnny says. “but who says you won’t find motivation?” he adds and jaemin’s eyes widen for a moment.

 

“i do,” he says. “i miss my friends and my house and my parents and the trams. i miss the skyscrapers i could always make out in the distance. i miss the markets that are, like, everywhere.”

 

“i understand that, jaemin. but there’s some of that out here. we don’t have skyscrapers, but we have trees. we don’t have trams, but we have a ute mark or jae can take you bushbashing in. we don’t have your house or your parents or your friends, but there’s your uncle and the house he built,” johnny says. jaemin nods. “and we have markets, if that helps. i’m sure mark can take you sometime.” jaemin laughs.

 

“i don’t think i’d completely hate that,” jaemin says. johnny pats him on the back.

 

“that’s good, you’re a good kid, jaemin.”

 

“thanks.”

 

jaehyun comes out to say he’s going to bed and johnny says he’ll be there in a minute.

 

“you feeling any better?” johnny asks.

 

“yeah, i am. thanks, johnny,” jaemin replies. “before you go to bed, i have a question.”

 

johnny raises an eyebrow. “shoot.”

 

“does mark ever take that cowboy hat off?” jaemin asks, completely seriously.

 

johnny laughs. “no.”

 

“never?”

 

“never.” they laugh for a moment. “why do you ask?”

 

“i fucking hate it,” jaemin says matter-of-factly and johnny laughs more.

 

“join the club,” johnny replies. “and, before you ask, both of us and his brother have tried to get him to stop wearing it. he refuses every time,” johnny adds.

 

“do you know why?”

 

“not a clue.”

 

jaemin glances over to the clock above the kitchen bench.

 

“when did it get so late?” jaemin asks.

 

“time flies when you’re talking about mark’s questionable fashion choices, i guess.”

 

“i’m going to bed, at least i won’t be able to feel the heat when i’m asleep,” jaemin says as he starts to trudge off to his bedroom.

 

“good luck with that,” johnny says, also getting up. “night,” he says.

 

“night.”

 

jaemin stares up at the bunk above his and has a sip of water. his room is bathed in a light pink hue as the lights outside shine through the curtain in front of the sliding glass door that leads from his bedroom to the patio. he exhales deeply. he thinks about mark, and what johnny said about him. jaemin figures mark deserves a chance, even if mark _did_ call him darl and adamantly refuses to take off that hat.


	5. v

jaemin wakes up to the sound of plastic hitting wooden floorboards, drawers and cupboards being opened and closed, and hushed curses. he rolls his eyes and gets up to brush his hair before walking out into the main part of the house. jaehyun’s house only really has four rooms. two bedrooms, one bathroom and the everything-else-room. there’s nothing separating the kitchen from the living room, the living room from the office, and so on. jaemin actually prefers it to his house. everything feels so closed-in at home. there’s never any breathing room. jaehyun’s house is breathable.

 

what jaemin doesn’t like about it, however, is that as soon as he walks out of his room, he has to see mark not understanding how to function without an adult present. he already knew this fact after watching him cut up a watermelon with a pair of scissors and johnny looking like he was about to have a breakdown just watching him (jaemin texted chenle about it, causing him to also have a breakdown communicated entirely through commas, semi-colons, and keyboard smashes). but seeing him pour his cereal _after_ the milk and the milk promptly splashing onto the kitchen bench and the floor was a whole new level of Why The Fuck.

 

“i’m too sleep-deprived for this,” jaemin mutters. mark, despite jaemin’s wishes and best efforts, notices him.

 

“good morning, jaemin!” mark announces, dropping a spoon. jaemin resists the urge to laugh. laughing is validation. and jaemin can’t have that.

 

“’morning,” jaemin replies, “may i ask why the fuck you’re pouring your milk _before_ your cereal?” mark just shrugs.

 

“i dunno. i’m pretty sure i only started doing it to annoy my brother,” mark says. jaemin actually laughs that time. “so you _do_ think i’m funny?” mark says, smirking.

 

“no, i think what you _did_ was funny.”

 

“which, by extension, means you think i’m funny,” mark grins.

 

“why does it matter to you?”

 

“why does it matter to _you?_ ” mark quirks an eyebrow and leans back against the bench. jaemin just stands there, like a dumb deer stuck in the dumb headlights of mark’s dumb car.

 

“whatever,” jaemin stammers. “where’s uncle jaehyun?” he asks.

 

“he’s gone into town with johnny. they’re going down to woolies,” mark replies. he seems to recognise that jaemin doesn’t want to keep talking about it, so he doesn’t push. maybe johnny’s right.

 

“are they gonna be out all day?” jaemin asks.

 

mark nods. “yep. the actual shopping doesn’t even take that long. johnny just likes to talk to anyone and everyone. they usually run into their friends, too. and then they end up going to my brother and his husband’s house and they get home at, like, 11pm and jaehyun’s always mildly tipsy at _least_ ,” mark chuckles lightly. “so yeah, they’ll be gone all day.”

 

jaemin nods quietly. then it hits him that this means he’ll be stuck with mark all day. with no johnny or jaehyun to escape to.

 

“anyway,” mark cuts through jaemin’s thoughts, right on cue, “you seemed pretty bored yesterday, so i figured we could go out and have some fun today. you down?”

 

jaemin thinks for a moment. he wants to want to decline, politely or otherwise. he wants to want to stay in his room and suffer under the sub-par whirring of his pedestal fan. he wants to want his only form of entertainment to be sending chenle updates on the sheep in the paddock outside his window.

 

“sure,” jaemin says.

 

 

-

 

 

mark’s idea of “fun” seems to be wildly different from jaemin’s. mark’s driven them into town to the only shopping centre in the area, which means jaehyun and johnny are definitely there. which, according to mark, is the point. mark explained in the car ride there that he often goes into town to play a game of Avoid Johnny And Jaehyun. the game is pretty self-explanatory, and jaemin just rolls his eyes when mark tells him about it. jaemin isn’t sure how they’d manage to not be spotted anyway, the oversized hat that seems to be glued onto mark’s head is an obvious giveaway as to the identity of the owner.

 

jaemin studies mark’s face as he talks. he always seems to be alight in some way, jaemin admires his everlasting passion for just being alive. he looks at his arms, there are more scars than jaemin saw the day before, they all run longways down them and seem to be quite old. there aren’t too many that jaemin can see, although he assumes there’s more, as indicated by the tail-end of one peeking out just below where he’s cuffed his flannel, just above his elbow. jaemin notices how tan mark’s arms are and that they’re covered in golden-brown speckles all over. he notices the every expression on mark’s face as he drives. he never seems annoyed or frustrated by the constant roadworks or the whirlwind of dust that surrounds the car and dirties the windows every time he takes off or picks up speed. he just has a constant pleasant smile etched into his features, never fading or turning into anything resembling a frown.

 

mark breaks the quiet. “by the way, you might have to meet my brother, he’s always hanging out with jae and johnny,” mark says and jaemin nods. “he sounds pretty different to me though. our parents are canadian and we moved here when he had already developed an accent because he’s a fair bit older than me,” mark explains further.

 

“i feel like i should’ve known that somehow,” jaemin says. mark laughs a little.

 

“i get that a lot.”

 

 

-

 

 

jaemin peers out from behind a bookcase in big w and motions for mark to move closer. johnny appears to be trying to convince jaehyun to let him buy a giant teddy bear that would definitely not fit in jaehyun’s ute. he’s pulling a puppy-dog face and swinging his and jaehyun’s hands. clever. jaemin looks behind him to see mark’s face directly next to his, almost knocking jaemin’s head with his hat. jaemin has no idea how mark manages to be discreet with that thing. he doesn’t roll his eyes or scoff or anything, he just pushes down the _feeling_ rising in his stomach and starts to run into the stationery section. he instinctively reaches for mark’s hand and his eyes widen before pulling it away, hopefully before mark could notice. mark and jaemin stand with their backs pressed against a row of notebooks, earning strange looks from a mum with her son looking at colouring books, but jaemin doesn’t mind. he grins at mark, and mark seems to have to pull one onto his face to match. jaemin decides not to question it.

 

“this _is_ fun,” jaemin laughs and mark does too.

 

“why did you ever doubt me?” mark asks. jaemin rolls his eyes, but he smiles.

 

 

-

 

 

jaemin sits on a park bench as he watches mark on the swingset at the local park. he swings back and forth, kicking his legs so he goes higher and higher every time. jaemin wouldn’t be surprised if mark were to ask him to push him. he lets himself smile a little. mark’s eyes are almost closed as he beams somehow brighter than the sun. the hat manages to stay firmly on mark’s head, 100% convincing jaemin that he’s glued that thing on. mark almost comes to a halt, his boots grazing the bark just barely. he calls for jaemin to join him and jaemin finds himself walking over and sitting next to mark. they sit there. jaemin looks over to watch mark swinging every now and again and looking back into the middle distance before mark can notice.

 

“shit, that’s jae’s ute!” mark says, pointing at an approaching car. they run.


	6. vi

they sit in the back of mark’s car, the boot open and their legs dangling over the edge. the sun glimmers on the water of the quarry. jaemin squints into it. mark kicks his legs back and forth, jaemin notices that it’s kind of a habit of mark’s. there’s a slight breeze weaving through the leaves of the eucalyptus trees that surround them, something jaemin hasn’t felt in what seems like 20 years. a kookaburra laughs nearby, and mark laughs a little too.

 

“what?” jaemin asks.

 

“this right here is probably the most outback australian thing ever,” mark says. jaemin laughs too.

 

“yeah, it is.”

 

they don’t say anything for a while. they just let the rays of the sun and the breeze wrap around them, uninterrupted. jaemin looks down. his school shoes are scuffed and red dirt covers the soles and is scattered on the rest of them.

 

“dammit,” jaemin whispers sharply.

 

“what is it?”

 

“my shoes are dirty and i need these for school,” jaemin replies, holding back a pout that tugs at his lips.

 

“do you have any others?”

 

“yeah nah.”

 

“dammit.”

 

jaemin smiles to himself before looking up at mark. “you’re not making fun of me for being a city kid,” he half-observes, half-asks.

 

mark shrugs. “i get it, i was like that before i got used to things out here,” he says. jaemin nods.

 

the red dust kicks up again and starts to swirl. mark’s hand knocks against jaemin’s, just the slightest touch, and goosebumps shiver down jaemin’s arms despite the heat. mark is in the front seat before jaemin even notices he’s moved.

 

 

-

 

 

jaemin realises how long jaehyun’s driveway really is. everything moves in slow motion except for him, even mark’s ramblings about god knows what slow down. the every beat of mark’s heart rings sharply in jaemin’s ears and every little detail of the dirt road and mark’s face and the interior of the car jump out at jaemin. the car comes to a halt and mark turns to jaemin.

 

“i was thinking, since you care so much about the colour of the go karts, you’re going to help me paint them,” mark says. jaemin scoffs.

 

“didn’t you say yesterday you know how colours work and that you’re ‘not a moron’?” jaemin replies.

 

“i did, but that doesn’t mean i don’t need help,” mark says.

 

“fine,” jaemin sighs. mark gets out of the car and opens jaemin’s door for him. “thanks,” jaemin says.

 

“no worries, darl.”

 

 

-

 

jaemin’s shoes are officially ruined. mark tripped over a jumble of rakes and brooms he’d knocked over the day before with an open can of paint in hand and just enough of the chemical-y smelling red shit sloshed out at a great enough velocity that jaemin looks like he’s about to click his heels and go back to st kilda. but he doesn’t seem to mind. it’s strange, his face twists into a smile before he lets himself laugh. mark looks like he’s just died and come back to life. he seems to wait for jaemin to yell at him, or at least call him a dumbass, but the thought never crosses jaemin’s mind.

 

 

-

 

 

“i really am sorry,” mark says and passes a plate to jaemin.

 

“nah, nah, it’s no worries,” jaemin replies and places it neatly in the dishrack. “don’t worry about it.”

 

“i still feel bad, though,” mark continues and passes jaemin a glass. their hands knock together again and jaemin’s eyes shoot there, watching the goosebumps rise on his arm again. “i mean, you kinda need those, ya know?” mark continues, unfazed by the whole thing. mark nudges him and jaemin realises he never took the glass from him.

 

“mark, it’s fine. i have a spare pair back home from year 10 that i should still fit,” jaemin says and mark shakes his head.

 

“still-“ he begins before jaemin places a hand on mark’s without even hesitating.

 

“it’s alright, mark, you don’t need to worry,” jaemin says. mark doesn’t respond and jaemin only figures out why when he realises what he did. “shit,” he hisses quietly. he takes his hand away and busies himself with putting extra care into drying that glass.

 

“i’m sorry,” jaemin says quietly.

 

“don’t worry about it,” mark grins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aa sorry this took so long and that it's so short :( school sucks and i have a boyfriend now so i have a lot going on, but i'll update as regularly as i can!


	7. vii

“be a dear and get me that bucket, will ya?” mark says, pointing at a scratched green bucket a mere three metres away. jaemin does it anyway, mumbling that mark is being ridiculous and lazy under his breath. he passes it to him, their fingers brush during the hand-off. jaemin’s breath almost hitches.

 

“cheers, mate,” mark says, grinning and pushing up the sleeves of his flannel past his elbows.

 

he looks golden, jaemin notices. not a shimmery kind of golden, but the warm, comforting kind. he can’t make out much of his face though, his smaller features obscured, only his eyes, nose and mouth are really visible. jaemin doesn’t really know what marks looks like aside from that. mark lives permanently in the shade, despite the pummelling rays of harsh sun all around him.

 

jaemin follows mark to the tall gate that closes off the sheep paddock. the wire surrounding it reaches the tops of some of the shorter trees and the gate itself reaches just below mark’s head (or what jaemin assumes is mark’s head, the cowboy hat may be a biological part of him for all jaemin knows). it swings open with a push, whacking mark in the ankles. mark doesn’t seem to care, or even notice. the bucket is filled with something that looks like weird apple crumble from an alternate dimension where everything is strange and grey.

 

“it’s their food,” mark says. jaemin realises that he hasn’t moved, he’s just been letting his eyes drift from mark to the bucket and back to mark.

 

mark gestures for jaemin to follow him, shutting the gate behind them when he does.

 

“gotta shut it as soon as you can, don’t want another incident,” mark explains something that didn’t require explanation in the first place and just creates more questions. jaemin isn’t surprised.

 

“i’m not even going to ask,” jaemin says.

 

“that’s fair,” mark shrugs, walking away for a few seconds before tripping over his oversized boots (“mum said i’ll grow into them eventually, that was three years ago,” he’d told jaemin).

 

“i’m guessing you meant to do that?” jaemin says.

 

mark turns to face him. “yep. now help me feed these guys.”

 

so jaemin does, evenly pouring the food into the troughs, watching the sheep barrel towards him in abject horror. mark laughs at him, but still protecting jaemin as best he can.

 

“you’d make a good sheep dog.”

 

“i might as well be one, mate.”

 

 

jaemin finds a somewhat comfortable seat in the stack of large rocks in the paddock. he watches mark bottle-feed the lambs, cooing at them and talking to them. it’s cute, even mark’s hat is kind of cute, providing shade for the lambs from the burning sun. mark finishes feeding the last one, petting it gently before sending it off to eat. he walks over to jaemin, beaming brighter than the sun, somehow.

 

“what are their names? the lambs?” jaemin asks once mark is in earshot.

 

“ah, the black one is henry, the brown one is lucy, and the white one is duke,” mark says. “i named henry, he just looks like a henry, ya know?” mark continues and jaemin’s eyes widen.

 

“shit, he does.”

 

“see, jaemin, i know things.”

 

“sure you do.”

 

they sit together for a while, jaemin isn’t sure how long they stay out there. they watch the sheep roam about, mark ‘translates’ their baas, jaemin gives them backstories.

 

“it’s a sheep soap opera. a sheep opera!”

 

“shut up, mark.”

 

 

-

 

 

there was no way jaemin wasn’t going to take mark up on his offer of maccas, which mark was going to shout him. it had reached 40 degrees and 60% humidity and the air conditioning in mark’s car combined with a frozen coke would definitely help jaemin feel less dead. mark definitely isn’t so bad, jaemin can definitely appreciate his kindness and generosity. he keeps thinking about mark and his lambs, how careful he is with them, taking care of them like they’re his children. mark would be a great kindy teacher, jaemin figures, he seems like the type to be great with kids.

 

“jaemin, i’ve been thinking, and i think we should officially become friends, mate,” mark says as they pull into the maccas carpark, snapping jaemin out of his thoughts. they get out of the car and begin to walk inside. “i mean, we work together pretty well, even though we don’t get along sometimes, which i will take some responsibility for.”

 

they find a seat, mark gets a few looks from the little kids sitting around them, presumably because of the hat. jaemin gets an idea.

 

“hm, sure, mark. but, on one condition,” jaemin says. mark perks up, raising his eyebrows.

 

“i’m all ears.”

 

“lose the hat,” jaemin smirks. mark just laughs.

 

“okay, sure,” mark says.

 

mark takes off the cowboy hat, the cowboy hat that has haunted jaemin’s nightmares for days now, taunting him with its obnoxious presence. jaemin can finally see mark’s features. his hair is a honey-brown colour, it’s messy and ruffled and sticks up in places. his skin is golden, warm and sun-kissed. his eyes are rounder than jaemin thought they were. he’s prettier than jaemin thought he was, too. but what stands out the most is the freckles that cover the apples of his cheeks, the bridge of his nose, and some of his forehead.

 

jaemin feels like he’s about to have a heart attack.

 

“dammit,” he mutters to himself. mark grins at him.

 

“so, friends?” mark asks. jaemin stops himself from stammering incoherent compliments at mark.

 

“y-yeah, friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i've taken so long to update but i'm on holidays for two months now!! so i'll be able to update pretty consistently!!! i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, i have a few oneshots i'm working on right now so get ready for those, lovelies uwu


	8. viii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i've been gone for so long :( some bad shit and some really great shit has been happening in my life and i've been super busy but i should have more time to update now!!!! enjoy uwu
> 
> also [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/chwehansolsprince/playlist/7GgrLyOeoveqCjmg8tz8de?si=xc4vfqSLQtSo_POSe0zsLg) is the music that plays on the radio in this chapter !!!

at some point or another, jaemin had somehow gotten used to the heat. he doesn’t know when it happened, or how, but as he sits on the front patio and eats his cereal, he notices that the 40 degree heat only felt like 30 degree heat. his clothes, a flannel he’d accidentally borrowed from mark when he was rummaging around for his pyjamas in the dark the night before and had been told to keep so he can protect his arms from the sun (it smells like mark’s cologne, jaemin makes a mental note to ask him what brand he uses), and his shorts don’t stick to his body so much and he doesn’t feel like he’s going to burst into flames. he’s also gotten used to the clapping and loud laughter he constantly hears from mark, it would be endearing if it didn’t wake him up every time he tries to fall asleep. he picks up a spoonful of rice bubbles and goes to eat it when the front door swings open and unceremoniously slams closed.

 

“mornin’ jaemin,” mark says, taking a seat across from the younger boy. “nice shirt, mate, where’d ya get it?” he asks. jaemin rolls his eyes and eats his cereal.

 

“shut up,” jaemin says quietly. he doesn’t look at mark for too long, only looking up at him for a second before turning his gaze to the paddocks.

 

“yeah nah,” mark replies, jaemin catches him pushing his hair back. “is there anything you wanna do today?” he asks. jaemin shakes his head.

 

“not that i can think of, i kinda want to just hang out here, i guess,” jaemin says.

 

“really? i thought you’d jump at the chance to get out of the heat.”

 

“it’s not so bad today, or it doesn’t feel that way, at least.” mark’s eyes widen and a grin spreads across his face.

 

“not so bad, eh? it’s literally two degrees hotter than it was yesterday.”

 

jaemin laughs a little, checking the weather app on his phone to see that it was, in fact, two degrees hotter.

 

“you must be distracted from the heat by my country boy charms,” mark smirks and jaemin leans forward to hit his arm lightly.

 

“mark, no one’s gonna think you’re charming if you call yourself a country boy unironically.”

 

“yeah, fair.”

 

they sit quietly for a moment, jaemin eats the rest of his rice bubbles and the only sounds are the cattle and the occasional dropping of a plate from inside.

 

 

-

 

 

the radio stations that jaehyun listens to are usually trash. sometimes he puts on something good, but for the most part he leaves on this one station with really boring hosts that plays the same selection of twenty or so songs from four to nine years ago all day, every day. at first jaemin didn’t mind too much, _locked out of heaven_ still slaps pretty hard and he and mark bonded over their _dynamite_ and _party rock anthem_ related experiences (jaemin asks everyone he knows what their _dynamite_ -related-memory is, everyone has one and jaemin is on a mission to find out why). but after hearing _moves like jagger_ for the fifteenth time in one car ride, he’s officially started to lose his mind. he’s decided that he’d rather be mark’s full-time tool-delivery boy until the day he dies than hear goddamn _moves like jagger_ one more time.

 

but soon they’re back at jaehyun’s house and jaemin scrambles out of the ute as fast as his legs will let him. the air is fresh and the relentless heat of the sun is almost welcoming.

 

“you okay, jaem?” mark asks him, placing a tentative hand on jaemin’s shoulder. jaemin feels some kind of giddiness bubbling deep in his stomach at the nickname, despite the fact that _literally everyone_ calls him jaem. he pushes it down, ignoring the strange sensation on his shoulder where mark’s hand comfortably sits.

 

“yeah, do you ever get sick of the radio stations out here?” jaemin asks. mark laughs, taking his hand away from jaemin’s shoulder and pushing his hair back. there’s an emptiness now, jaemin ignores that too.

 

“ _fuck_ , yeah. just when ya think you’ve gotten used to it, one of the songs starts fuckin’ playing in your head when you’re trying to sleep and it makes ya wanna die again,” mark replies. “but sometimes it’s okay. _die young_ is a bop,” mark says and jaemin holds back a giggle.

 

“yeah, yeah, it is,” jaemin says, going to walk inside. “is there anything that needs to be done around the property or can i go take a nap?” jaemin turns to mark, who’s standing there grinning.

 

“go have your nap, darl. jae and i are just gonna clean up the shed,” mark replies. jaemin nods. “sleep well,” mark says and jaemin’s face and chest feel… weird.

 

“thanks, mate,” jaemin replies and it takes mark snickering as the door swings closed behind him to realise what he just said. he just flops down on his bed and tries to forget how cute mark’s smile is and how comfortable he is in mark’s shirt.

 

 

-

 

 

jaehyun and johnny must’ve gone out before jaemin woke up. the house is empty and the only light inside comes from the three lamps in the living room. it’s pretty quiet too, johnny isn’t making some kind of intricate joke at mark’s expense and mark isn’t laughing and clapping so loud that it shakes the entire house. it’s strange, and jaemin isn’t sure if he likes it or not. his suspicions are confirmed by a note on the dining room table from jaehyun:

 

_jaemin,_

_johnny and i have gone out to dinner with a few friends. i’m pretty sure mark is passed out in his room right now. he’s fine, just tired. he’s not, like, dead or anything. we’ll probably be home pretty late so don’t wait up for us. there should be leftovers from last night that you can heat up. i told mark and johnny not to eat it so hopefully they listened._

_have a good one,_

_uncle jaehyun._

jaemin grumbles. he’s home alone with mark. _ugh_. then he realises that radio is still on. it’s quiet, but it’s _still on_. he turns the volume up, he’s too tired to try and figure out what song is playing but he also knows that it’ll annoy him if he _doesn’t_ know what song it is.

 

it takes a second for jaemin to register what the song is, he figures he’s tuned in right in the middle of one of the verses. but then the chorus hits and he’s instantly transported back five years. he remembers his music teacher choosing this song for one of his choir performances and having to hear it almost every single day for months and then having to listen to it a final time on one of the worst days of his life.

 

then the tears start pricking his eyes and before he can realise what’s happening, he’s sitting on the floor and crying to fucking _que sera_ by justice crew, of all things. he looks pathetic, he knows he looks pathetic. he wants to at least cry in his bed, close the door and hide under the covers even though it’s _far_ too hot for that. but he doesn’t. he _can’t_. he sits on the floor with tears falling down his face, hiccupping through choked sobs. the song taunts him, forcing him to remember.

 

“this is so dumb,” jaemin mutters to himself.

 

he hears a door open and close with a crash, and stumbling, clumsy footsteps against the floorboards. the wheels of johnny’s desk chair roll and squeak and jaemin’s pretty sure it nearly got knocked over.

 

_shit._

“jaem? what’s wrong? i heard crying and-” mark says, stopping when jaemin looks up at him. he’s clearly half-asleep with his hair messy and his shirt haphazardly falls off his collarbone.

 

“i-i’m okay, mark. go b-back to sleep,” jaemin chokes and mark shakes his head, sitting down next to him.

 

“can i…?” mark asks, lifting his arm. jaemin nods, almost without hesitation. mark puts an arm around him.

 

mark’s eyes widen for a moment when jaemin moves closer to him, his arm tensing as jaemin practically _snuggles_ into him. jaemin feels him rubbing circles into his back as he sobs quietly.

 

“do you wanna talk about it, jaem?” mark asks him. his voice is quiet, he gently pulls jaemin closer and jaemin lets him. he nods, wiping his eyes and sniffling.

 

“that song, it, uh, brings back memories,” he says, avoiding mark’s eyes but still seeing him in his peripheral. his brows are furrowed and his eyes are caring and worried. “you remember when uncle jaehyun was asking me about donghyuck? my best friend from primary school?” he continues. he sees mark nod.

 

“well, i actually grew up in brisbane. but mum decided to move down to victoria and we ended up moving the night of my primary school graduation. it took a lot of crying and convincing for mum to let me even go to the graduation at all,” jaemin laughs. “and _que sera_ was our graduation song and it was playing the last time i saw hyuck. it was also when i told him that i was moving. and he cried and i cried and i still feel so horrible about it, mark. i’m such a fuckin’ shit friend,” jaemin sobs, more tears staining his cheeks.

 

“that’s not true, jaemin. you were just a kid,” mark says, going from tracing shapes on jaemin’s back to carding through his hair. jaemin lets him, melting into mark’s touch.

 

“it _is_ true. i’ve been so awful to you too, mark. i’m sorry,” he says quietly, his words getting muffled between his mouth and mark’s shirt.

 

“it’s alright, jaem. i don’t think you’ve been awful. and for what it’s worth, i forgive you,” mark says.

 

“really?”

 

“mhm. but if you _really_ wanna make it up to me, there’s gonna be a bushdance at the community centre that jae and johnny are running and i was wondering if you wanted to go with me,” mark says. jaemin looks up at him, raising an eyebrow.

 

“a bushdance?” he asks. mark nods. “we had those on easter when i was in primary school,” he says.

 

“same, yeah,” mark chuckles. jaemin never realised how his face lights up whenever he laughs. “so do you wanna go with me?” mark asks.

 

jaemin thinks for a moment. a _bushdance_. with _mark._ the single most bogan thing he could possibly think of.

 

“sure.”

 

 


	9. ix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1ya6ajYE3U) is the song that they're dancing to. enjoy uwu

jaemin stares at himself in the bathroom mirror for what feels like hours. he isn’t sure why he cares so much. it’s not like this is a date with mark, _god no_. but he stares and stares, trying to figure out if his outfit is okay (mark’s flannel paired with cuffed blue jeans and jaemin’s one pair of sneakers that he brought with him. he looks ridiculous, but he’s pretty sure that was the point), incessantly fixing his hair and applying layers and layers of chapstick. he hears jaehyun calling out for johnny and he figures he should leave the bathroom.

 

so he does, mark is nowhere in sight and jaemin sees jaehyun press a kiss to johnny’s temple.

 

“hey, jaemin!” johnny says. “is that mark’s shirt?”

 

“uh, yeah. it is. i didn’t really have anything bogan enough so i figured this would do,” jaemin replies. johnny and jaehyun laugh.

 

“you’re not wrong,” jaehyun says. “anyway, johnny and i are gonna be leaving early, so mark’s gonna be driving you there, kiddo.”

 

“ughhh,” jaemin groans. “okay, at least he doesn’t put on _that_ radio station.”

 

jaehyun and johnny bid jaemin goodbye before leaving the house and driving off. jaemin collapses on the couch, getting his phone out of his pocket and scrolling through it, doing anything to distract himself from the jittery feeling coursing through him.

 

after about ten minutes, mark emerges from outside. jaemin goes slack-jawed, his eyes widening and the weird, almost sick, feeling in his stomach growing.

 

mark looks… hot. jaemin would like to be able to describe him in _any_ other way, but he can’t think of any other adequate descriptors. his hair is styled for once, looking soft and framing his face perfectly. jaemin’s pretty sure he’s never seen mark wear anything even _close_ to his outfit for the evening. his jacket in particular shows off his arms nicely.

 

“what?” mark asks, frowning and tilting his head. jaemin thinks he looks like a confused puppy. “do i look bad or something?”

 

jaemin shakes his head. “no! not at all! you look, um, you look really good. yeah, really, really good,” he stammers, making mark chuckle quietly. “why do you ask?”

 

“you’ve been staring at me since i walked in,” mark says. jaemin curses internally.

 

“yeah nah,” he says. “in your dreams, mate.”

 

mark just laughs. “whatever you say, jaem,” he says. “we’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now, so let’s go.”

 

 

-

 

 

jaemin can’t keep his eyes off mark. he tries looking out the window and figuring out where they’re going (it’s hard to tell at night, especially when all the stretches of dirt road look exactly the same), but his gaze keeps returning to mark.

 

mark sings along quietly to the radio. his voice is soft and makes jaemin’s stomach feel weird. mark turns to him for a second and he smiles at him sweetly before returning his attention to the road. jaemin freezes up before belatedly returning the smile.

 

 

-

 

there are far more people in this town than jaemin thought. the community centre isn’t packed, per se. but there are more probably people in this one hall than the population of his primary school when he graduated. mark seems to notice him staring blankly into the mass of people, jaemin can feel the older boy’s eyes trained on him and a hand on his shoulder.

 

“jaem, you okay?” mark asks, startling jaemin and making the younger boy turn around.

 

“uh, yeah. i’m fine. just a lot more people than i expected,” jaemin says, swallowing thickly, hoping mark doesn’t notice.

 

“oh, okay. you were just staring,” mark says. “i was just worried that something was wrong.”

 

jaemin shakes his head. “everything’s okay,” he says.

 

the two of them stand there for a while, jaemin’s eyes scanning the room. he sees johnny at the dj booth, jaehyun smiling at him fondly. jaemin’s eyes soften as he turns his attention to mark, who seems to be eyeing off the fairy bread and lamingtons at the food table. he stifles a light giggle, looking at him quietly. mark turns around jaemin hastily looks straight ahead again.

 

“do you wanna dance?” mark asks.

 

“huh?” jaemin says, startled.

 

“do you wanna go out and dance? like, with me?” mark says, fiddling with the hem of his jacket.

 

“oh! um, yeah. yeah, i’d like that,” jaemin stammers, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“okay,” mark says, smiling softly.

 

“alright,” jaemin replies.

 

they both stand there, not moving a centimetre. they exchange glances, waiting for the other to initiate _something_.

 

“ugh, come on,” jaemin groans, grabbing mark by his wrist and pulling him onto the dance floor.

 

 -

 

jaemin doesn’t feel nearly as awkward as he thinks he should. his arms are comfortably settled on mark’s waist, and the older boy’s are around his neck. they sway from side to side, mark occasionally stumbling and standing on his own shoes, and jaemin laughs at him a bit. jaemin looks over mark’s shoulder to see jaehyun leaving over to johnny, the two of them occasionally glancing to him and mark. but jaemin barely notices. he feels light and warm, he feels safe like this.

 

the warm lighting of the community centre makes mark look golden. whenever mark looks into jaemin’s eyes, his face starts to feel hot and his stomach feels like a bunch of stars are bouncing around in it.

 

jaemin keeps staring at mark’s lips. he tries to pull his gaze from them but he keeps being drawn back in.

 

“this is nice,” mark says quietly, interrupting jaemin’s thoughts. he rests his head on jaemin’s shoulder.

 

“um, y-yeah. this is nice,” jaemin replies a bit too loudly.

 

their bodies are so close, jaemin can practically hear mark’s heartbeat. but he doesn’t mind.

 

he doesn’t want this moment to end, but he’s not sure why.

 

but then he realises.

 

he loves how mark’s shirt sits on his frame. he loves how close mark is to him. he wants to tilt mark’s head up to meet his and lean down to kiss him _so badly._

 

 _“fuck,”_ jaemin curses quietly.

 

“what? is something wrong?” mark asks, looking up to meet his eyes. jaemin keeps looking at his lips.

 

“no, no, i just realised that i forgot to text chenle today,” jaemin hastily replies. mark nods and settles back in the crook of jaemin’s neck.

 

jaemin is royally fucked

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! sorry for being gone for so long again hsdshd i've been super busy with school and i'm also in a musical and rehearsals are kicking my ass lmao. updates should hopefully become regular again!!!


	10. x

jaemin has completely forgotten how to function.

 

he and mark sit together in the town maccas, jaemin opting to sit next to mark despite there being a perfectly good seat in front of him. mark doesn’t say anything about it, and so jaemin doesn’t either.

 

“i’m gonna go get another drink. d’you want one?” mark asks, his hand resting _dangerously close_ to jaemin’s on the table.

 

“uh, yeah, sure. thanks,” jaemin replies. mark nods and walks over to the counter. jaemin lets out a breath that’s been trapped in his lungs since they were dancing.

 

they _danced together_. mark rested his head on jaemin’s shoulder, close enough for jaemin to kiss him.

 

jaemin shakes his head and gets out his phone.

 

 

**_nana_ **

_lele_

_lele_

_lele_

_help_

_zhong chenle_

_my bestest friend in the whole world_

_lele_

**_lele_ **

_oh my god it’s like 11pm_

_i’m babie_

**_nana_ **

_it’s the holidays??_

_and you stay up later than i do_

**_lele_ **

_hmm_

_fair point_

_why do you need my help bucko_

_is that yeehaw kid still The Worst???_

**_nana_ **

_that’s the problem_

_i think???_

_i don’t hate him????_

_in fact i think it’s the opposite??????_

_like i wanna kiss him and stuff_

_and i Don’t Like It_

_at all_

_what do i dooooooooooooooooo_

**_lele_ **

_oh my god_

_jaemin_

_i_

_i just_

_he’s a yeehaw boy???_

**_nana_ **

_he doesn’t even wear the cowboy hat anymore though??_

_like he said he wanted to be friends_

_and so i was like “take off the hat then”_

_and i expected him to like_

_not do that_

_but then he was like “yeah sure” like straight away????_

_and i’m so??? what does this mean??????_

**_lele_ **

_i’m shaking what does this mean_

**_nana_ **

_THIS IS NOT THE TIME_

_anyway_

_Help Me_

**_lele_ **

_i mean_

_he did take the hat off straight away_

_like no protests or anything_

_just because you asked him to_

_it seems like he at least has some interest in you_

**_nana_ **

_i don’t think he does though??_

_i think we’re just mates or whatever_

_i don’t speak yeehaw_

_but like_

_also_

_i forgot to tell you what made me realise_

_that i maybe probably like mark_

**_lele_ **

_oh no_

**_nana_ **

_so um_

_he asked me to go to this bushdance with him_

_and uh_

_that was tonight_

_and he asked me to dance with him_

_and i said yes_

_and he rested his head on my shoulder_

_and my hands were on his waist_

_and we were so close and he looked so pretty and_

_i uh_

_yeah_

_i wanted to kiss him so bad lele_

_you have no idea_

**_lele_ **

_gay_

**_nana_ **

_SHUT UP_

_also says you_

_but yeah_

_i don’t know what to do now???????_

**_lele_ **

_looks like you’re in a bit of a pickle my guy_

_maybe flirt with him???_

_like a normal person????_

**_nana_ **

_i literally don’t know how to do that_

**_lele_ **

_i don’t either lmao_

_maybe touch him more???_

_he’s clearly okay with being close to you_

**_nana_ **

_ughhhhhhhhh_

_guess i’ll die_

_he’s back with drinks i gotta go_

**_lele_ **

_good luck pal_

 

mark sits down next to jaemin again, the _perfectly good seat_ in front of them still unused. he passes jaemin a cup with a grin and jaemin quietly thanks him. their hands touch for a moment and jaemin pulls his away far too quickly. mark seems to be too busy eyeing off jaemin’s sundae to notice though.

 

“do you want some of my sundae?” jaemin sighs, exasperated.

 

“can i?” mark asks, looking at jaemin with puppy-like joy in his eyes.

 

“go ahead.”

 

mark grins before taking jaemin’s spoon from his hand. jaemin just smiles and lets him have most of the rest of it.

 

“thanks, mate,” mark says, putting the spoon back and sliding the container back to jaemin.

 

“no problem,” jaemin replies before eating the rest of his ice cream. mark laughs at him. jaemin almost forgets to roll his eyes.

 

 

-

 

 

mark pretty much falls asleep as soon as he sits on the living room couch. jaehyun and johnny haven’t even left the hall yet, they’re still packing up apparently, and so jaemin is stuck alone with mark again. unfortunately, jaemin is squished between mark and one of the armrests, as mark toppled onto the couch after jaemin had already sat down and had picked an inconvenient spot to pass out in. jaemin just sighs, he’s too far from the coffee table to reach the tv remote and he can’t bring himself to disturb mark.

 

he doesn’t even get a choice in the matter when mark’s arm finds its way to jaemin’s waist, his hand on the younger boy’s hip and his head now on jaemin’s chest. his hand grips onto jaemin’s, well, mark’s, shirt, and jaemin’s heart softens at how tiny and cute mark’s hand is.

 

jaemin freezes up, shifting his eyes between mark’s face, mark’s hand, and the door to his bedroom. he thinks about getting up, prying mark off him and going to sleep in his slightly too stuffy room. but then mark curls into jaemin more and tightens his grip on his shirt and jaemin just can’t bring himself to disturb the sleeping boy.

 

so he sighs, getting his phone out of his front pocket and opening up his messages.

 

 

**_nana_ **

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_

**_lele_ **

_oh no_

_what have you done_

**_nana_ **

_MARK_

_HE_

_WE JUST GOT HOME_

_AND WE WERE SITTING ON THE COUCH_

_AND NOW HE’S ASLEEP ON ME_

_WHAT DO I DO_

**_lele_ **

_lmao loser_

**_nana_ **

_SHUT UP_

_I NEED HELP_

**_lele_ **

_wbk_

_just get up???_

**_nana_ **

_I CAN’T_

_HE’S LIKE_

_SNUGGLY_

_AND HE’S HOLDING ONTO MY SHIRT_

_well technically his shirt but WHATEVER_

_HE’S_

_HE’S_

_C*TE_

**_lele_ **

_oh no jaemin sweetie_

_we are talking about the same yeehaw boy right_

**_nana_ **

_we are :(_

_he looks so cute aaaa_

_he’s pouting i wanna cry_

**_lele_ **

_oh my god nana_

_what have you gotten yourself into_


End file.
